Old Times and New Beginnings
by pick1frcryingoutloud
Summary: Jack has a little conversation with Mother Nature
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Old Times and New Beginnings  
**Author:** pick1frcryingoutloud  
**Rating:** T  
**Characters:** Jack/Sam; Oma Desala

**Summary:** Jack has a little conversation with Mother Nature.  
**Spoilers:** Small ones for Broca divide, Meridian & Fallen  
**Disclaimer:** You probably know the drill, I don't own stargate, yadda yadda yadda…

**Author note: **_REVIEW_ please! I love to hear what you guys think and/or what I can improve. English is not my native language so I apologize for any mistakes (please point them out to me if you find any).

**Author n****ote 2: **I think I imagined this story somewhere in the first half of season 7.

**Old Times a****nd New Beginnings**

**Chapter 1 : Old Times**

Jack was floating. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the pain in his head and chest but that was of no importance right now. The pain had dulled and he recognized the familiar feeling of painkillers in his system. When he would wake up, he would probably be in a lot of pain he knew but right now he could just continue to float.

Something was nagging at him. What was it? Oh yes, why was he on painkillers? What had happened again on P6X-979? He tried to remember but the more he thought about it, the farther the memory seemed to slip away.

Suddenly the scene changed. He was standing now. He looked around and then down. The wounds were gone. He'd had wounds right? Of course he did, otherwise they wouldn't have drugged him with painkillers. He was in the gate room but something was off. He was alone. Not a single soul was there. Not Walter, not Carter, not Hammond, not Daniel or Teal'c. What was going on?

A bright light enveloped the gate and a woman appeared out of nowhere. He'd met her before, he knew that. She had brown wavy hair and was dressed in white robes.

"Jonathan O'Neill." Her voice was calm and soothing.

"Present." He replied jovially.

"I am Oma Desala." The woman declared.

"I remember." Jack answered. This could not be good. "Look, I'm sure this is all very interesting but, What am I doing here exactly?" When Oma paid you a visit, it usually meant you were dying.

"Your fate is in your hands." What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Hey, I've got a headache already. I don't need you to turn it into a migraine. Just spit it out." He waved his arms in the air, trying to relieve his nervousness. He wasn't dying right?

"You are in such a state it makes it possible for me to communicate with you." Crap! That wasn't good.

"No kiddin'." He hadn't thought things were _that_ bad. Oma kept staring at him with a serene expression on her face. "So... again… why am I here? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd _love_ to go on a trip to the realm of the glowy but I kinda like my live as it was, like… living." He explained. He wasn't ready to die. There were so many things he wanted to do. He needed to get the marines back for playing a prank on him the other day and he refused to kick the bucket before he ever saw Carter naked.

"If you do not accept your fate, you will die." Huh? He thought it was his fate to die since he was well on his way according to the Ancient woman standing in front of him. Was she joking? Nah, who was he kidding, Ancients didn't have a sense of humour… none whatsoever.

"Okay, that's a setback. Can't you just, you know, ascend me and sent me back?" She'd done it to Daniel so why not him?

"I cannot ascend you, I can merely assist you, if that is what you wish." Oma stated. And no, it wasn't what he wanted but it was better than dying.

"Is ascension my only choice? Like that or dead?" He asked.

"It is not." Oma's answer startled him.

"I thought you said ascend or die?" He asked again.

"I declared only that if you do not accept your fate you will die." The woman clearly needed some lessons in how to speak properly and clearly.

"Is this what you told Daniel? 'Cause I can't imagine him figuring all this out." He said exasperated. The woman was tiring him out and if he could believe what she'd said, he would need his strength to help him… well, not die.

"Daniel Jackson was different. It was his time." Oma spoke again.

"And it isn't my time?"

"No." Okay so why did she come then? To keep him company as he waited?

"I'm in a coma, dying, how can it not be my time?" Jack asked unbelievingly.

"You have not yet fulfilled your destiny." Okay, now he was definitely confused. What destiny?

"My… destiny?" He began incredulously. "Okay. If I fulfil my destiny, I die?"

"Eventually." She replied.

"Alright. What do I have to do?" He asked purely to entertain the woman. Whatever she told him, it could hardly be worse than his situation right now.

"You do not have to do anything." Okay, that just sounded too good to be true and as nice as it sounded, Jack had a feeling his definition of doing nothing was infinitely different than hers was.

"Okay… You wanna help me out here 'cause I ain't following." He sighed in frustration. He was beginning to see why Daniel came back. If they were all like Oma up there, he didn't think he could cope for even five hours, let alone a year.

"I cannot tell you what to do." Oma replied serenely.

"Sure you can." Jack countered. "Just give me a hint, a clue, anything." His hands were waving again and when he realized that, he put them safely in the pockets of his BDU's.

"I cannot." The woman persevered.

"Okay I'll bite. Why not?" he was getting tired of this game.

"It is against the rules, you have to find your own path." She explained to him.

"Oh come on! So bent the rules a bit, no one has to know." He practically yelled. "I won't tell." He added with a lower voice to emphasize his point.

"You forget that the others know everything." Always the party-pooper, wasn't she?

"Right. So, if you don't want to help me, how am I suppose to solve this?" He asked.

"You must find the course of your destiny." 'Destiny, destiny, destiny. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Booooring!' Was coursing through Jack's mind.

"Okay… I can do that…" He said and pretended to think for a few minutes. "I got nothing." He concluded. "Can't we make a deal? Tell ya what, I'll ask a question and you tell me if I'm warm or cold, whadda you say?" He threw in one of his charming smiles to help win her over.

"I cannot do that." Unaffected by the O'Neill charm eh?

"Oh come on! All I'm asking for is a little cooperation here!" He was getting at the end of his rope. The woman stayed silent for a few seconds, apparently thinking things over until she opened her mouth once again.

"One has to know the past to understand the future." And with that she disappeared, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jack wandered aimlessly around the room, turning Oma Desala's words over and over in his head but still they made no sense. He'd tried the doors but they wouldn't budge, effectively trapping him with no way out. Talk about torture.

"Helloooooo!" He called out hoping she would hear him. "I know you're there!" He yelled to no-one in particular.

"Have you figured out your destiny?" The voice sounded from behind him and he spun around to face Oma. 'Know the past to understand the future'. What does that mean? He already knew his past but that didn't mean he could see into the future. What was she expecting from him?

"Uh, no, not yet." He confessed.

"Then for what purpose have you called me?" She questioned.

"Maybe I just like your company." He offered. "Look, you said I have to 'know the past to understand the future'. What did you mean by that?"

"It means what you think it means." Okay, that wasn't helping him one iota.

"What?"

"Search your past and you will know what your future holds." She tried to explain.

"Know my past?" Jack repeated, emphasizing the words.

"Exactly. Think of those close to you." She hinted. Immediately the image of a young boy popped into his head.

"Charlie…" He muttered, more to himself than to her. The death of his son had occurred over ten years ago but still there were moments when the pain felt as if it had happened yesterday.

If he'd looked at Oma then, he would have seen the look of compassion on her face.

"Although he is a person you care about deeply, he is not part of your future or destiny." She said gently. Jack forced the thoughts of his son back to the back of his mind. Now wasn't the time to think about those things. If…no _when_ he got through this he probably would, alone at his home and a bottle of scotch nearby.

"Well, you gotta help me out here a bit 'cause I'm confused." She seemed to take pity on him.

"It is right in front of you." She said. "Because it is so clear, it takes a longer time to realize it. If you immediately know the candlelight is fire, the meal was cooked a long time ago." Again with the riddles!

Seeing that he was about to explode, Oma stretched out her hand to him. Jack eyed it suspiciously but took it when she nodded in encouragement.

The room dissolved into white smoke and the scenery changed. The cold grey floor turned into green grass-blades moving in the soft breeze that caressed his cheeks. A body of water was a few feet away and in the distance an small cottage could be seen bathing in the summer sun. Jack recognized the place. It was his cabin in Minnesota.

Chairs were placed in rows across the backyard, people dressed in tuxedo's, elaborate dresses and dress blues were seated on them, listening to the man in front. Jack took in the beautifully decorated wedding altar and the people standing in front of it. That was him in his dress blues! He couldn't see the bride's face but it definitely wasn't Sara. The woman's hair was too blond for that. Jack let his gaze stray over the best man and he gasped.

"Is that?"

"Charlie." Oma confirmed from next to him. His son looked good. He was older than when he died, maybe sixteen or seventeen.

They stayed watching from a distance throughout the whole ceremony but Jack didn't notice. He kept staring at his son. His son! Alive and well here, wherever this place was. The boy had grown much, only a few inches shorter than he was. His hair was just as unruly as his was and had a brown colour with natural blond strands mixed in it, just like his had been at that age before turning completely brown.

He carried himself well and Jack began to wonder if he played hockey like he had in high school. Or maybe he'd stuck with baseball. Jack smiled ruefully as he remembered trying to win the boy over to share this favourite sport of his and though his son had enjoyed playing hockey, he still had preferred baseball and it wasn't long before Jack had caved and begun watching baseball on TV. He could never deny his son anything.

The bride and groom kissed and the crowd applauded. Charlie smiled and whistled as his father continued kissing his new stepmother, dipping the woman and making a big show of it. They were happy.

Oma turned to look at him again but Jack kept gazing at the scene in front of him.

"The death of your son was not the cause of your separation with your wife Sarah. You would have eventually decided that it was the best course of action for the two of you. The early demise of your son indirectly led to your encounter with your destiny, the person that made you whole again." She spoke. Jack turned his head to look at her and as he did, he noticed his surroundings changing again to the grey walls of the gate room.

"Daniel?" Jack asked confused, his voice hoarse with emotion. He could've kept watching that wedding forever. Oma shook her head slightly.

"Daniel Jackson made you realise that your son's death was not your fault and he convinced you to let your guilt go and live on but he was not the person that made you feel again." She expounded.

"Then who?" Jack asked again, tired of guessing.

"You know of whom I speak. You just do not want to admit it." Jack turned to stare at the walls for a moment, needing some time to digest what had happened and what she was saying now.

She was right though, that he knew. Daniel did make him realize Charlie's death was an accident (though it didn't stop him from blaming himself). While Daniel stayed on Abydos starting his new life, Jack had come back to Earth and had begun to pick up the pieces of what was left of his. It took him nearly three years to get back on his feet, just in time to go back to the SGC and take command of the first team to go through the Gate.

His carefully reconstructed walls and feelings had all come crashing down that first briefing when his spunky young captain had walked in and offered to arm wrestle. He'd tried to resist it at first, determined to stay miserable and alone for the rest of his life, convinced that was what he deserved but after the locker room incident he couldn't deny it much longer. He was starting to fall for Samantha Carter.

He didn't know how she'd done it but over time, she'd helped him believe in himself again, she'd ignited that sparkle of hope that said he might still have a chance at love. Yes, the answer was clear but the little voice in his head added in a vexing tone that regulations prevented him to ever act upon it. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Say I do know? Why am I still here?" He still wasn't looking her in the face, preferring to keep staring at the wall.

"Because knowing is not the same as acknowledging." Oma advised and he felt a hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

The scenery changed again but this time he didn't recognize it. They were in a room, the living room of a house, not exactly small but not extremely large either. The TV was on, displaying some kids cartoon but no one was watching.

A loud scream diverted his attention to the hall. It was followed by the sound of people running down the stairs. A boy, maybe eight years old, bolted into the room followed closely by a beautiful girl with curly blond hair. They were giggling and screaming in pleasure as the girl chased the boy through the kitchen out into the backyard.

With a confused look at Oma – and seeing her nod – Jack followed the two kids outside. There was a picnic table in the middle and Jack recognized Daniel, Cassie and Teal'c and even Hammond sitting at it, enjoying their meals. Janet was there also, sitting next to Daniel with a little girl on her lap.

Jack was beginning to wonder where he was – the he in this scene that is – when he noticed the barbecue. And yes, wearing an apron which said 'kiss the chef' and a pair of tongs in his hands, there was Jack O'Neill burning the meat as usual. Sam was standing next to him and they appeared to be talking … well, flirting from the looks of it.

They were touching each other and giddy as teenagers and every few minutes, one of the two would kiss the other. Not a passionate kiss, just a peck on the cheek or mouth, evidence that this was a habit and something they'd been doing for some time now.

Sam looked up to watch the children. "Jake! Don't tease your sister!" She yelled and Jack followed her gaze to see the two kids he'd encountered before. He could see it now. It was vague but he could see his features reflected in the children, his and Carter's… Sam's. Those were their children.

"I think we have seen enough." Oma declared and she took Jack's arm once more. He wanted to protest, he wanted to keep watching but it was already too late as the scene dissolved and the gate room once more rematerialized.

Jack turned to look Oma in the eyes again. She stared calmly back, waiting for him to speak.

"Sam." He said. "Sam is my destiny." It seemed so clear now, he'd never been more sure of anything in his life. The phrase said it all. He needed her to complete him. Oma smiled at him and nodded in affirmation.

"Try not to forget it this time." She said and before Jack could question her about that statement that gate room disappeared and all went black for a moment.

TBC…


	2. New Beginnings

**Chapter 2 : New Beginnings**

He was lying on his back. Every muscle in his body hurt and he couldn't decide what was the worst: his leg or his chest. Something in his throat was making it difficult to breath on his own. He wanted to cough to get the offending thing out but he only ended up nearly suffocating himself.

He quickly became aware of a beeping sound. A heart monitor! He was in the infirmary. He realized he was waking up but he didn't want to. His dream had been so much more comfortable than the pain he was now in. He tried fighting consciousness but a voice was making it hard for him to go back to that comfortable place of sleep.

"Sir? Sir?" A female's voice. Carter's voice. Suddenly he wasn't sure he wanted to go back to sleep. "Jack!" That did it. He opened his eyes and tried to gasp but the oxygen tube in his throat was suffocating him! He heard Sam calling for Janet and then she turned her eyes back on him.

"Easy sir, try to breathe through it. Nice deep breaths." The doc came running into the infirmary, a few nurses close on her heels.

"Easy colonel. Try to relax, I'm going to remove the tube." He nodded furiously, all too eager to get the thing out so he could breathe properly again. He started coughing and heaving when the object was finally out. "Try not to talk to much just yet, it'll hurt your throat." Janet explained and he nodded in comprehension.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, just nod or shake your head." She went on. "Are you in any pain at the moment?" He didn't respond immediately, afraid that if he admitted it, she'd pump him full of drugs again and he'd be out before you could say 'off-world activation'. "I'll take that as a yes." She said with a small smile on her face. Damn!

"Follow my finger." He did as she asked and cooperated with a few more tests she wanted to conduct. Sam stayed quietly at his side, observing them with anticipation, afraid that Janet might still find something wrong with him, other than the obvious.

"Everything looks to be going well. I'll change your bandages in a little while." She said as she wrote something down on his chart. "Until then, I'll let Sam explain some things to you." She smiled. "It's good to have you back sir." The petite doctor turned around and walked away, leaving the two officers alone.

"Wahte." Jack tried to bring out but he wasn't succeeding entirely. Thankfully, Sam understood what he meant and offered him a drink. Before he could ask for anything else, she began to talk.

"You were hit by Jaffa on our last mission. You didn't move, we thought you were dead." A couple of tears welled up in her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. He took in her appearance. There were dark circles around her eyes which showed evidence of tears. He thought she looked a bit thinner but that was just because he knew she wouldn't have eaten much, instead choosing to sit by his bedside all day.

"We got you back to the SGC but you'd already lost a lot of blood. Janet immediately operated on you but you coded on the table." She was rambling it all off, probably afraid that when she stopped for a moment she would think about what she was saying and be overwhelmed by emotion.

"She was able to bring you back but you slipped into a coma. We all had turns keeping guard in case you'd wake up or…" 'Die' she meant to say. "It's been a week." She concluded. Jack nodded slightly. He was already beginning to feel the pull of sleep from the extra painkillers Janet gave him. He fought it, he didn't want to go back to sleep... not just yet.

"D'niel? T?" He asked hoarsely.

"They're fine. A few scrapes and bruises but nothing serious." She was quick to reply.

"You?" His voice was getting a little bit better.

"I'm good… now that you're awake." She added silently. Jack stared at her, wishing he could gather her in his arms to comfort her. She stared back and he noticed a lone tear running down her cheek before she wiped it away.

"You should get some sleep." She said. "You don't look too good." His eyelids were already drooping but he managed to get out a reply.

"Don't look so good yourself either." She chuckled at that and it was the last thing he heard before sleep overtook him again.

When he woke up again Daniel was there instead of Sam, a book on his lap and keeping vigil over him as he slept.

"Where's Sam?" He spoke and his friend immediately looked up.

"You're awake." The young man put his book down and walked over to the side of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." Jack answered. "Where's Sam?" He inquired again. He didn't mean to offend Daniel but he really needed to talk to her before he lost his courage. The archaeologist just smiled.

"She went to get a shower and a bite to eat. She hasn't left your side you know. Teal'c and I tried to convince her to go to her quarters and sleep but she would have none of it. And really, what did you expect? It was you." There was no accusation in his voice, just mild amusement.

"I want to talk to her." If his friend guessed his motives, he didn't call him on it but just nodded, no questions asked because that's what friends do.

"I'll go get her." He walked towards the exit but turned around before leaving. "And Jack? I'm glad you made it." He smiled a little and disappeared around the corner. Good old Spacemonkey.

One of these days he was going to have to thank Daniel for saving his life but then again he was Jack O'Neill so it probably would come out as an insult anyway. Still, he vowed to let his long time friend know, maybe not in an explicit way like normal people but in his own special and on occasion eccentric one.

A couple of minutes passed until a shy looking Sam entered the infirmary, being escorted by Daniel.

"Here you go Jack, one Samantha Carter as ordered. Have fun!" He chuckled and left the room again for which Jack was infinitely grateful. This was going to be hard enough as it was without there being an audience.

"Hi sir. Daniel said you wanted to see me?" She walked closer to his bed until she was standing at the end near his feet.

"Yeah." He wasn't sure what to say next. He'd never thought about what he would say, too busy thinking about getting her alone. And get your mind out of the gutter!

"How are you feeling?" She asked trying to alleviate the tension.

"Pretty good." He answered. Yeah, pretty good despite the enormous snake chewing on his guts. Euw, bad choice of words. "Carter…" Nope, not good. "Sam…" He started. "Have you ever … experienced something … that you think didn't … really happen … like a vision of some sorts?" He asked hopeful.

"Yeah." She replied. "When I was on the Prometheus in that cloud." She elaborated when she saw his surprised look. "What about it?"

"I think it happened to me when I was … you know." He trailed off.

"I see." She said. "What happened in this vision?" Jack swallowed. He didn't want to utter his next words, didn't want to acknowledge how close he'd really come to dying but she had to know, he had to tell her.

"I met with Oma." He answered. Sam remained dead silent, taking in the meaning of those words.

"Did she… did she offer you ascension?" She asked, her tone of voice betraying that she almost did not want to know the answer.

"She said she could help me… you know if I wanted to but that it wasn't necessary yet." He told her the truth.

"What do you mean?" Her brows knitted together as she approached him a bit further.

"She said it wasn't my time yet." He felt stupid with what he was going to say next but he had to get it out. "She said I had to carry out my destiny first." His fingers were plucking at the blanket draped over him, his eyes following the movements their colleagues were making.

"Your destiny?" She repeated still a little confused. He nodded, not yet ready to look her in the eyes.

"You." He simply answered. He looked up to see her staring at him dumb folded. "I've seen it Sam." He stared desperately back in her amazing blue eyes.

"What?" Her voice was husky, he nearly didn't recognize it. He swallowed and continued. No going back now.

"How it could be if we were together." He explained. "She showed it to me. We were happy and call me selfish but I want that life. I want to be happy." He concluded. He saw Sam swallowing at the implication of his words and waited in anticipation for her answer.

"I want it too." Her voice was just above a whisper but he heard it as clearly as if she'd shouted it and he broke into a tentative smile that immediately grew. She joined him, her eyes twinkling with happiness as she leant forwards, carefully took his face in her hands and gave her a small peck on the lips, just like he'd seen in his vision.

"I love you Jack O'Neill." She whispered and he didn't think anyone in the world, heck even the whole galaxy, could be happier than he was right now. He could have a future with Sam and maybe even those two kids he saw in the garden with Oma.

"I love you too Samantha Carter." And he kissed her again, more passionate this time, taking his time to explore her mouth with his tongue.

They were interrupted by someone clearing his throat. They broke off and turned to see Daniel standing in the doorway, a tray of food in his hands and Teal'c standing behind him with a bowl of fruit, a knowing smile on both their faces.

"I thought you might like to eat something." The younger man shrugged. "We can come back later if you want." He pointed the tray towards the hallway, making clear that he wouldn't mind if that were the case.

"It's fine Daniel. Thanks, I'm starving." His friend walked up to them and placed the tray in front of Jack. It carried several food items and two of Jack's favourite dishes: pie and Jello.

"Daniel, you know I don't like blue Jello." Jack complained pointing at the offending colour as Teal'c settled himself in the chair next to the bed, conjuring up a fork from his pocket and digging into his fruit.

"Oh I know." Daniel replied. "That one's for Sam." He said, handing the woman in question her favourite dessert while grabbing a cup of green Jello for himself.

"Thanks Daniel." Sam said as she accepted the cup. Jack decided to help himself with a cup of good old red.

"No problem. So what do you guys think, a toast?" Daniel began, raising his cup for lack of champagne or some other drink people tended to use to give a toast.

"Sure."

"Why not."

"Indeed."

"To old times." Daniel hoisted his cup in the air and Jack and Teal'c followed his gesture.

"And new beginnings." Sam added, raising her own cup, gazing lovingly at Jack.

The End


End file.
